Birds find their way onto Minneapolis Delta flight and briefly cause chaos

Tim Harlow, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 28, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — Flights can be delayed for many reasons — weather, mechanical issues, staffing shortages. A recent Delta flight was tardy taking off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport over the weekend because a couple of unauthorized pigeons tried to catch a ride.

Passengers were on board Flight 2348 when the stowaways flew through the cabin. Baggage handlers came and caught the first pigeon.

But after the jet left the terminal, a second bird emerged. Traveler Tom Caw caught the chaos in a video that has gone viral. A few passengers screamed, but one brave passenger stood up and used his jacket to catch the bird.

At one point, a flight attendant made an announcement asking everyone to check under their seats and in their carry-on bags for any additional birds before the flight pulled away, according to several social media posts.

“Delta appreciates the careful actions of our people and our customers to safely remove two birds from the aircraft prior to departure and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel,” the airline said in statement.

The flight carrying 119 passengers and five crew members arrived in Madison 56 minutes late. No one was hurt.